NLRP3 inflammasomes at the ARDS-cancer interface: mechanisms and translational hypotheses

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and cancer share common pathogenetic mechanisms that involve immune dysregulation and inflammatory responses. Inflammasomes, part of the initial innate immune response to infection and injury, play a pivotal role in both carcinogenesis and ARDS. Here we review the role of inflammasomes in ARDS and cancer and, in doing so, we find a set of commonalities that allow the proposal of a conceptual framework for their potential intersection that could inform therapeutic development for both conditions. We highlight the importance of understanding how chronic inflammation induced by ARDS may create a microenvironment conducive to carcinogenesis and discuss how cancer-related inflammasome activity and therapies, like radiotherapy and immunotherapy, might increase susceptibility to ARDS. This review paves the way for future work to investigate strategies to prevent ARDS development in cancer and to repurpose FDA-approved drugs for these diseases, alongside preventive measures to reduce the risk of one disease in the presence of the other.